Runaway
by Sweet Tal
Summary: When his friends find out that he is a werewolf, Lupin runs away from Hogwarts... please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!


disclaimer - i own nothing. melinda is made up, but she's nothing special.   
  
This isn't the greatest, but PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!! You don't want me to get mad do you??? REVIEW !!!!!  
  
  
  
  
I stepped off the muggle bus, having no idea where I was. Nor did I care. I was lost, both physically, and emotionally. I didn't know where I was going, or what to do next.  
  
I walked around the town, wondering what to do. I was lost, exhausted, and wandless in a street full of muggles. Finally I sat down on a bench on the side of the road. I closed my eyes. I couldn't believe that just 24 hours ago, I had been at Hogwarts with my friends. Now I was all alone. Friendless.  
  
After all, knowing what they knew, they would never want to be friends with me. I was disgraced.   
  
Worst of all, Melinda knew. Melinda…  
  
I sighed, as I thought of Melinda. She was the most beautiful witch in our year. I loved her very much, and I had thought she liked me too, that is until she found out what I was. Now, she would be disgusted by me. That's why I had to run away. How could I ever face her, and my friends again.  
  
I wish it had never happened. I wish I hadn't been bitten.   
  
I wish they hadn't figured it out.  
  
I felt a tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes. There was a little girl, about four years old, standing in front of me.  
  
"Excuse me mister. Are you lost?"  
  
She was such a darling little child. The only reason she was nice to me was because she didn't know the truth about me. The same way my friends had been nice to me, but now that they knew, it could never be the same.  
  
I nodded my head. "My Mommy will take care of you," she said sweetly. She took my hand and brought me inside.   
  
We were inside a little candy shop, full of muggle sweets. Behind the counter was a young woman with the same face as the little girl. She was looking at me curiously and pityingly.  
  
"Son… I've been watching you out there," she explained. "You look lost and hungry. Would you like something to eat?"  
  
I hadn't eaten anything in 24 hours so I nodded my head. "But I don't have any money."  
  
"That's all right, dear," she responded.   
  
She gave me a sandwich, and I took a bite.  
"There, there now."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
The woman and her daughter watched me as I ate the sandwich.  
  
"Now, son. Why did you run away from home?"  
  
I looked at her in shock. "How did you know?" I asked.  
  
"I can tell," she replied. "Your face, your eyes. Now I'm not going to make you go home, because you may just end up in the streets again. But you can stay with me for a few days, until you are ready to go home. Though your mother must be worried… would you like me to call her?"  
  
I shook my head. "Thank you for your hospitality, but there is no one I can call. There is no where for me to go. I can't go back."  
  
I felt the tears in my eyes as I said this. The little girl put her arm around me.   
  
The woman smiled encouragingly. "You can stay as long as you like."  
  
***  
  
James Potter and Sirius Black were sitting in Dumbledore's office, with worried faces. Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Good news," he said. "We know where Lupin is. He is staying with a muggle woman and her four year old daughter. He is safe."  
  
James smiled. "Are you going to go get him back?"  
  
"No," Dumbledore replied. "That is what you have to do. You must bring him back. He will not come back unless he realizes that his friends are not going to reject him just because he is a werewolf. You two must go down and tell him that. I alone could never make him come back. Now, does anyone else know what he is?"  
  
"Yes," Sirius admitted. James looked at him in shock. "Melinda knows."  
  
"Does Remus know that Melinda -"   
  
Sirius interrupted James. "Yes."  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "Does Melinda have any objection to his being a werewolf."  
  
"No," Sirius replied. "She likes him, and is very worried about him."  
"Then bring her too."  
  
***  
  
For five days I lived with the muggle woman and her little daughter in the apartment above the candy shop. They took good care of me, and they loved me. They didn't know what I was.  
  
I spent a lot of time thinking about James, Sirius, and the gang. And about Melinda. She must hate me, I thought. I loved her, but I knew I could never see her again.  
  
On the fifth day, I realized that night was the full moon. I knew I couldn't stay in the apartment that night. I had to leave. So that afternoon, when the shop was filled with customers I slipped out and started running for the forest. I knew I had to stay as far from the town as possible, or I might attack someone.  
  
By 7 o'clock I decided I was far enough from the town. I sat down on a log, waiting for the moon to rise.  
  
***  
  
James, Sirius, and Melinda walked through the streets of the town, looking for the candy shop. There were many shops, but after about an hour, they found the shop they were looking for.  
  
"Ladies first," Sirius smiled, opening the door for Melinda. Melinda grinned, knowing that Remus would be here. They walked in. Inside they saw a young woman sitting behind the counter. She had a worried look in her eyes, and she looked like she was about to cry. Melinda's grin quickly faded.  
  
"Excuse me," James started. "Have you seen a young boy here, about 13 years old? His name is Remus."  
  
The woman nodded and then started to cry. "He was here for five days, but he just ran away. He didn't even say good bye." The woman sobbed, and Melinda put her arm around the woman.  
  
"Don't cry. We'll find him."  
  
"Do you know why he ran away?" James asked.  
  
The muggle woman shook her head.   
  
"Wait a second…" Sirius was looking thoughtful. "Is tonight the full moon?"  
  
"Damn!" James exclaimed. "Of course he ran away. What are we going to do now?"  
Sirius looked out the window. The sky was dark, and he could see the full moon.  
  
"It's too late," he replied. "There's nothing we can do. We just have to hope that he is far from the town, and that he finds animals to eat. Not people." Sirius shuddered. "We just have to wait till morning."  
  
The muggle woman looked confusedly from Sirius to James and to Melinda. "I don't understand what you mean. But you three can stay overnight, until Remus comes back."  
  
***  
That night, James, Sirius, and Melinda lay awake, watching out the window. They were nervous for Remus, and for the people of the town.  
  
"I can't stand this." Melinda said. "I feel like we should be doing something."  
  
"Mel, there's nothing we can do. Don't worry." Melinda heard the worry in James's voice.   
  
"I feel like this is all my fault," Melinda stated. "I feel like I'm the reason he ran away."  
  
"Don't say that, Melinda," Sirius replied. It was so strange to hear Sirius worried. It was strange to hear his voice sound scared.   
  
Suddenly, a noise was heard from outside. They looked out the window.  
  
"Was that-?"  
  
"Oh my god!"  
  
"Let's go." James said, taking the lead. "We have to save the town."  
  
The three ran out, wands in hand. They saw the wolf, running down the street. Luckily, they were the only ones out that night.  
  
"Stupefy!" James yelled. Nothing happened.   
  
"James, we have to all do it at once!" Melinda yelled. "One, two, three -"  
  
"STUPEFY!!!!"  
  
The werewolf lay as if dead on the ground. James, Sirius, and Melinda walked over to it.  
  
"It's stunned all right," Sirius announced. "Let's bring him over there, where no one will see him. We can keep watch over him until morning."  
  
***  
I woke up. I was lying on the floor in the forest. I couldn't remember what had happened. I was back in human form. I decided to go back to the woman's shop, and apologize for what I had done.  
  
"Remus…"  
  
I looked up. I saw James, Sirius, and Melinda. Melinda was looking more beautiful than ever, with the sun shining in her hair. I closed my eyes. What had I just done? Now they were going to hurt me, or yell at me or punish me. I couldn't stand up, I couldn't run away. Melinda kneeled down next to me.  
  
"Remus… are you all right?"  
  
"Fine," I replied. James and Sirius sat down next to me also. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked  
  
"Remus," James replied, "do you really think we would stop being your friends just because you're a werewolf. Do you really think we care?"  
  
"You don't care?" I looked at them in shock.  
  
"Not at all, buddy!" Sirius answered.   
  
"Melinda?"  
  
"Remus, I love you." She knelt down, and kissed me on the lips. "So will you come back to Hogwarts with us."  
  
I looked from James, to Sirius, and finally to Melinda. They were all smiling at me. They all wanted to be my friends. Even though I was a werewolf. And Melinda had kissed me.   
  
"Let's go." I took Melinda's hand as we started back for Hogwarts.   



End file.
